Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of serious lower respiratory tract disease in infants and children (Feigen et al., eds., 1987, In: Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, WB Saunders, Philadelphia at pages 1653–1675; New Vaccine Development, Establishing Priorities, Vol. 1, 1985, National Academy Press, Washington DC at pages 397–409; and Ruuskanen et al., 1993, Curr. Probl. Pediatr. 23:50–79). The yearly epidemic nature of RSV infection is evident worldwide, but the incidence and severity of RSV disease in a given season vary by region (Hall, C. B., 1993, Contemp. Pediatr. 10:92–110). In temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, it usually begins in late fall and ends in late spring (Hall, C. B., 1995, In: Mandell G. L., Bernnett J. E., Dolin R., eds., 1995, Principles and Practice of Infections Diseases. 4th ed., Churchill Livingstone, New York at pages 1501–1519). It is estimated that RSV illness results in 90,000 hospitalizations and causes 4,500 deaths annually in the United States. Primary RSV infection occurs most often in children from 6 weeks to 2 years of age and uncommonly in the first 4 weeks of life during nosocomial epidemics (Hall et al., 1979, New Engl. J. Med. 300:393–396). RSV is estimated to cause as much as 75% of all childhood bronchiolitis and up to 40% of all pediatric pneumonias (Cunningham, C. K. et al., 1991, Pediatrics 88:527–532). Children at increased risk from RSV infection include preterm infants (Hall et al., 1979, New Engl. J. Med. 300:393–396) and children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (Groothuis et al., 1988, Pediatrics 82:199–203), congenital heart disease (MacDonald et al., New Engl. J. Med. 307:397–400), congenital or acquired immunodeficiency (Ogra et al., 1988, Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 7:246–249; and Pohl et al., 1992, J. Infect. Dis. 165:166–169), and cystic fibrosis (Abman et al., 1988, J. Pediatr. 113:826–830). The fatality rate in infants with heart or lung disease who are hospitalized with RSV infection is 3%–4% (Navas et al., 1992, J. Pediatr. 121:348–354).
RSV infects adults as well as infants and children. In healthy adults, RSV causes predominantly upper respiratory tract disease. It has recently become evident that some adults, especially the elderly, have symptomatic RSV infections more frequently than had been previously reported (Evans, A. S., eds., 1989, Viral Infections of Humans. Epidemiology and Control, 3rd ed., Plenum Medical Book, New York at pages 525–544). Several epidemics also have been reported among nursing home patients and institutionalized young adults (Falsey, A. R., 1991, Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 12:602–608; and Garvie et al., 1980, Br. Med. J. 281:1253–1254). Finally, RSV may cause serious disease in immunosuppressed persons, particularly bone marrow transplant patients (Hertz et al., 1989, Medicine 68:269–281).
Treatment options for established RSV disease are limited. Severe RSV disease of the lower respiratory tract often requires considerable supportive care, including administration of humidified oxygen and respiratory assistance (Fields et al., eds, 1990, Fields Virology, 2nd ed., Vol. 1, Raven Press, New York at pages 1045–1072). The only drug approved for treatment of infection is the antiviral agent ribavirin (American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, 1993, Pediatrics 92:501–504). It has been shown to be effective in the treatment of RSV pneumonia and bronchiolitis, modifying the course of severe RSV disease in immunocompetent children (Smith et al., 1991, New Engl. J. Med. 325:24–29). However, ribavirin has a number of limitations including high cost, need for prolonged aerosol administration and potential risk to pregnant women as well as to exposed health care personnel. The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases revised their recommendation for use of ribavirin. The current recommendation is that the decision to use ribavirin should be based on the particular clinical circumstances and physician's experience (American Academy of Pediatrics. Summaries of Infectious Diseases. In: Pickering L. K., ed., 2000 Red Book: Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. 25th ed., Elk Grove Village, Ill., American Academy of Pediatrics, 2000, pp. 483–487).
While a vaccine might prevent RSV infection, no vaccine is yet licensed for this indication. A major obstacle to vaccine development is safety. A formalin-inactivated vaccine, though immunogenic, unexpectedly caused a higher and more severe incidence of lower respiratory tract disease due to RSV in immunized infants than in infants immunized with a similarly prepared trivalent parainfluenza vaccine (Kim et al., 1969, Am. J. Epidemiol. 89:422–434; and Kapikian et al., 1969, Am. J. Epidemiol. 89:405–421). Several candidate RSV vaccines have been abandoned and others are under development (Murphy et al., 1994, Virus Res. 32:13–36), but even if safety issues are resolved, vaccine efficacy must also be improved. A number of problems remain to be solved. Immunization would be required in the immediate neonatal period since the peak incidence of lower respiratory tract disease occurs at 2–5 months of age. The immaturity of the neonatal immune response together with high titers of maternally acquired RSV antibody may be expected to reduce vaccine immunogenicity in the neonatal period (Murphy et al., 1988, J. Virol. 62:3907–3910; and Murphy et al., 1991, Vaccine 9:185–189). Finally, primary RSV infection and disease do not protect well against subsequent RSV disease (Henderson et al., 1979, New Engl. J. Med. 300:530–534).
Currently, the only approved approach to prophylaxis of RSV disease is passive immunization. Initial evidence suggesting a protective role for IgG was obtained from observations involving maternal antibody in ferrets (Prince, G. A., Ph.D. diss., University of California, Los Angeles, 1975) and humans (Lambrecht et al, 1976, J. Infect. Dis. 134:211–217; and Glezen et al., 1981, J. Pediatr. 98:708–715). Hemming et al. (Morell et al., eds., 1986, Clinical Use of Intravenous Immunoglobulins, Academic Press, London at pages 285–294) recognized the possible utility of RSV antibody in the treatment or prevention of RSV infection during studies involving the pharmacokinetics of an intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) in newborns suspected of having neonatal sepsis. They noted that one infant, whose respiratory secretions yielded RSV, recovered rapidly after IVIG infusion. Subsequent analysis of the IVIG lot revealed an unusually high titer of RSV neutralizing antibody. This same group of investigators then examined the ability of hyperimmune serum or immune globulin, enriched for RSV neutralizing antibody, to protect cotton rats and primates against RSV infection (Prince et al., 1985, Virus Res. 3:193–206; Prince et al., 1990, J. Virol. 64:3091–3092; Hemming et al., 1985, J. Infect. Dis. 152:1083–1087; Prince et al., 1983, Infect. Immun. 42:81–87; and Prince et al., 1985, J. Virol. 55:517–520). Results of these studies suggested that RSV neutralizing antibody given prophylactically inhibited respiratory tract replication of RSV in cotton rats. When given therapeutically, RSV antibody reduced pulmonary viral replication both in cotton rats and in a nonhuman primate model. Furthermore, passive infusion of immune serum or immune globulin did not produce enhanced pulmonary pathology in cotton rats subsequently challenged with RSV.
A humanized antibody directed to an epitope in the A antigenic site of the F protein of RSV, SYNAGIS®, comprising variable heavy (VH) complementarity determining regions (CDRs) having the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:1–3 and variable light (VL) CDRs having the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:4–6, is approved for intramuscular administration to pediatric patients for prevention of serious lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV at recommended monthly doses of 15 mg/kg of body weight throughout the RSV season (November through April in the northern hemisphere). SYNAGIS® is a composite of human (95%) and murine (5%) antibody sequences. See, Johnson et al., 1997, J. Infect. Diseases 176:1215-1224 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,307, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The human heavy chain sequence was derived from the constant domains of human IgG1 and the variable framework regions of the VH genes of Cor (Press et al., 1970, Biochem. J. 117:641–660) and Cess (Takashi et al., 1984, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81:194–198). The human light chain sequence was derived from the constant domain of C6 and the variable framework regions of the VL gene K104 with J6-4 (Bentley et al., 1980, Nature 288:5194–5198). The murine sequences were derived from a murine monoclonal antibody, Mab 1129 (Beeler et al., 1989, J. Virology 63:2941–2950), in a process which involved the grafting of the murine complementarity determining regions into the human antibody frameworks.
SYNAGIS® has high specific activity against RSV in vitro (approximately 50–100 times that of RESPIGAM® (respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin, human) and is known to neutralize a broad range of RSV isolates. Since it is not derived from human plasma, prophylactic treatment with SYNAGIS® does not carry potential risk of transmission of blood borne pathogens.
SYNAGIS® was initially formulated as a liquid for IV use, at a concentration of 10 mg/ml SYNAGIS® in phosphate buffered saline. A lyophilized formulation of SYNAGIS®, which allows a higher concentration (100 mg/ml after reconstitution, in 50 mM histidine and 3.2 mM glycine buffer with 6% (w/v) mannitol at pH 6.0) of the antibody than this initial liquid formulation, was produced later to allow intramuscular use. The lyophilized formulation of SYNAGIS® is prepared by lyophilizing SYNAGIS® at 54 mg/ml in an aqueous solution containing 25 mM histidine, 1.6 mM glycine, and 3% (w/v) mannitol at pH 6.0. The initial liquid formulation in PBS and the lyophilized formulation of SYNAGIS® have been tested in phase I clinical studies in healthy adults. The lyophilized formulation was tested in phase I through phase IV studies in pediatric patients. SYNAGIS®, at doses of 15 mg/kg to 30 mg/kg for adults is found to be well tolerated, and 15 mg/kg for children is found to be safe and efficacious for RSV prophylaxis. The lyophilized formulation was approved in 1998 by the FDA for use in the prevention of serious lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in children at high risk of RSV disease.
However, the lyophilized formulation has a number of limitations, including a prolonged process for lyophilization and resulting high cost for manufacturing. In addition, the lyophilized formulation has to be reconstituted aseptically and accurately by healthcare practitioners prior to administering to patients. The reconstitution step itself requires certain specific procedures: (1) a sterile diluent (i.e., water or 5% dextrose in water for intravenous administration and water for intramuscular administration) is added to the vial containing lyophilized SYNAGIS®, slowly and aspetically, and the vial must be swirled very gently for 30 seconds to avoid foaming; (2) the reconstituted SYNAGIS® needs to stand at room temperature for a minimum of 20 minutes until the solution clarifies; and (3) the reconstituted preparation must be administered within six (6) hours after the reconstitution. Such reconstitution procedure is cumbersome and the time limitation after the reconstitution can cause a great inconvenience in administering the formulation to patients, leading to significant waste, if not reconstituted properly or if the reconstituted dose is not used within six (6) hours and must be discarded.
Thus, a need exists for a liquid formulation of SYNAGIS® at a concentration comparable to or higher than the reconstituted lyophilized formulation so that there is no need to reconstitute the formulation prior to administration. This allows health care practitioners much quicker and easier administration of SYNAGIS® to a patient.
Prior liquid antibody preparations have short shelf lives and may lose biological activity of the antibodies resulting from chemical and physical instabilities during the storage. Chemical instability may be caused by deamidation, racemization, hydrolysis, oxidation, beta elimination or disulfide exchange, and physical instability may be caused by antibody denaturation, aggregation, precipitation or adsorption. Among those, aggregation, deamidation and oxidation are known to be the most common causes of the antibody degradation (Wang et al., 1988, J. of Parenteral Science & Technology 42(Suppl):S4–S26; Cleland et al., 1993, Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems 10(4):307–377). Thus, there is a need for a stable liquid formulation of SYNAGIS® or an antigen-binding fragment thereof effective to prevent RSV infection.